Gig review: Broods @ the Ice Cream Factory

New Zealand-sibling-pop-duo Broods took to the stage at Bar Pop’s Ice Cream Factory last Friday night to satisfy the ears of those who love them. However, at no fault of their own, the evening was not the best performance I have seen from them.

The warehouse was bustling and full of people eagerly anticipating the evening ahead. It was easy to sense the excitement vibrating through the crowd as Broods took to the stage.

Broods nailed all the crowd favourites, but the evening seemed to fall short of what could have been something amazing due to the audio systems. From where I was standing, the first two songs, and lead vocalist Georgia’s voice when she spoke in between songs, were hard to decipher. Brood’s performance was not at fault, but the lack of clarity in audio hindered a set that had the potential for greater things.

Although hard to hear, Hold the Line was as as catchy as ever, and the struggle to grasp what Georgia was saying didn’t matter so much when most of the crowd knew the words and sang and danced along anyway. Conscious was another classic from their second album and also one of my favourite tracks of the night, with everyone chanting along to Georgia’s gritty vocals: ‘Wake me up and keep me conscious’.

Bridges was a clear crowd favourite that got everyone grooving in unison. It was hard not to enjoy this track—a punchy dance tune to sway along to while you got lost in the dreamy backdrops that played behind it.

Broods had a smashing set list for the evening; they really provided the crowd with everything they wanted to hear. Pop dance tunes like Are You Home, with its addictively repetitive chorus, was one of my other favourites, and songs like Heartlines, Full Blown Love, Recovery, and We Had Everything, kept the crowd dancing and singing the night away.

Broods have tracks that you can’t help but smile when you hear them, and it was clear people were enjoying themselves throughout the night. The crowd response to Free was a case in point. Meanwhile, Could Not Believe was the energy-filled dance track of the evening, and one that I had not listened to prior to the gig. This fun, electro-pop-tune was definitely a standout of the night, and will be making a feature on my next playlist.

Moving in closer to the stage, the sound quality was described as incredible, and provided punters with a better experience. Georgia nailed each note and the passion she and Caleb put into their performance was hard to ignore. Georgia hyped up the crowd, danced around, and had everyone singing along with her, track after track.

The clarity of the audio throughout the venue seemed to improve progressively as the evening went on. Broods played one of their latest releases Everything Goes (Wow), beforeending the night with Peach, another newbie, which was the perfect finish to a strong performance.

The screen visuals that played behind the duo throughout the night were also really aesthetically pleasing, especially during the final song, and I found that it complemented the music perfectly. Flashes of colours, shapes and Georgia’s dancing outline were the perfect additions to Brood’s onstage performance.

Overall, the Ice Cream Factory proved itself to be a great summer venue in Perth to grab some friends and dance the night away. Unfortunately, it did seem that unless you were standing close to the front, you were stuck with a night of struggling to hear those amazing vocals. In saying this, Broods still provided a memorable night filled with great dance tracks, and left the crowd happy after hearing most of their favourites.

Broods is currently touring in the US; but keep an ear out for their upcoming new album, ‘Don’t Feed the Pop Monster,’ set to be released in February… or listen to their latest single, ‘Peach’, below.